Can You Be Overweight and Healthy?

Need2Exerc1se

http://www.intelihealth.com/article/can-you-be-overweight-and-healthy?level=0

I found this an interesting article on the idea of being overweight and healthy.

Paix_Amour

I would say you definitely can! My nutritionist says I'm healthier than she is, and I've still got 40lbs to go!

Kalikel

You can be overweight and not sick. But there is no denying that the extra weight brings higher risk for different illnesses.

I'm not down on fat people. Some people try to slam fat people for this idea, like they're delusional or whatever. I am fat people. I'm just not pretending it's a good thing or without its risks.

TimothyFish

Yes, but being overweight puts you more at risk for problems. Being obese puts you very much at risk.

Need2Exerc1se

Just curious, did you read the article before responding?

DeWoSa

At my heaviest, 213, my blood pressure was 108/72 ish and my cholesterol was 154. I am 5'4" so I was considered obese. That was about 10 years ago, in my late 30s.

zyxst

Depends on what definition of healthy is being used, but I think you can be overweight and healthy.

earlnabby

The human body is a strange and wonderful thing but there are risks no matter what you do. Everybody is different and a few extra pounds can be much riskier for some than others, just like too few pounds can be riskier for some. The best thing is to get to a place where you minimize as many of the potential risks based on your personal makeup and genetic history as you can.

No, I don't think anyone at either extreme end of the scale can be healthy, but there is a huge amount of space in the middle where people can be at their healthiest.

girlviernes

It depends, I think being overweight for your body, and getting there through some degree of overeating and inactivity, is unhealthy. However, the standard classifications as they stand now have mixed empirical basis. In fact, some big studies suggest that being in the overweight category (BMI 25-30) is actually associated with longevity.

Liftng4Lis

zyxst wrote: »

Depends on what definition of healthy is being used, but I think you can be overweight and healthy.

This^

lemurcat12

Yes, but as others have said extra weight is a risk.

I think how much of a risk it is depends--if you have a good waist measurement (aren't holding fat around your middle), and are in the overweight but not obese BMI range (or have a body fat percentage that is not obese), and have good test results on all the relevant rests, my understanding from what I've read is that the extra risk is minimal if any.

Personally, I cared about getting below 140 or so (which would be on the verge of overweight for me, and you could even kick it up to 145 if you like) purely due to how much it helps with fitness pursuits and aesthetic reasons. I don't actually think it makes me healthier. On the other hand, even though my tests were always good, I carry weight around my middle enough that I think much more extra weight--and certainly being obese--is a serious risk, even if one that I'd been lucky enough to suffer no consequences from.

I also think exercising and getting fit probably pays off more for health at certain weight ranges than just focusing on losing pounds, but of course for most people the two aren't unrelated.

kgeyser

Oh, goody, it's this thread again. This should provide for some entertainment when I get back from the gym.

454mikey990

You can eat healthy and still be overweight. being overweight comes from taking in more calories than you spend. So I say yes.

Patttience

You can be overweight and healthy but if you are obese in the long term you will have serious health issues.

Talk to anyone older than 55, say, who's been obese most of their life. They will tell you about their diet related health issues. The older they are the more weight related issues you'll hear about. Things like knee damage, hip pain, gall bladder, diabetes, heart disease, hiatus hernias.

Its a fact that obesity is bad for you. You can be a little overweight and not have any of weight related health problems.

earlnabby

girlviernes wrote: »

It depends, I think being overweight for your body, and getting there through some degree of overeating and inactivity, is unhealthy. However, the standard classifications as they stand now have mixed empirical basis. In fact, some big studies suggest that being in the overweight category (BMI 25-30) is actually associated with longevity.

I recently read that the elderly women (70+ age range) who have a few extra pounds on them are healthier than those who don't (not obese, just on the heavier side of normal). Part of it is carrying around those extra pounds keeps the bones stronger and lessens the advance of osteoporosis.

Need2Exerc1se

I'm not sure anyone is reading the article so I'm posting it here. It's long, so still not sure how many will read it. It raises some interesting points, I think.

By Robert H. Shmerling M.D.
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

There's little question that the current epidemic of obesity has come with a staggering cost to public health. Current estimates suggest that obesity-related illness accounts for $150 billion and 300,000 premature deaths each year in the United States.

The number of conditions linked to excess weight is large and growing. They include:

Type 2 diabetes
High blood pressure (hypertension)
Heart disease
Stroke
Certain types of cancer
Impaired sleep
Arthritis
But can people who carry extra weight still be healthy? Are you healthy if you're overweight or obese but physically active, have a normal blood pressure and good "metabolic numbers" (including cholesterol levels and blood sugar)? To some degree, the answers depend on our definitions of "overweight" and "obese." And there is more than just physical health at stake in the answers. Increasingly, employers or insurers provide discounts for "leanness." And, many overweight and obese people face subtle (and not-so-subtle) discrimination.

Confusion Between Terms

When it comes to discussions of health and weight, overweight people and obese people are often lumped together. Consider this quote from a recent news summary (emphasis added) that mixes the concepts of overweight and obese in the same sentence:

NBC Nightly News reported that new research suggests that individuals cannot be simultaneously overweight and physically fit. NBC's Chief Medical Editor Dr. Nancy Snyderman said that the research indicates that "there is no such thing as healthy obesity."

One of the most common (and commonly studied) ways to define healthy weight is the body mass index (BMI), which adjusts weight based on height. While it's not perfect (especially for the very young, the very old, those who are particularly muscular or women who are pregnant), it is a good place to start.

Normal weight is a BMI between 18.5 and 24.9.
Overweight is a BMI between 25 and 29.
Obesity is a BMI of 30 or greater.
In the United States, roughly a third of people are currently overweight. Another third are obese. These proportions are much higher than in prior decades.

Is "Fat But Fit" a Myth?

Two recent studies "weigh in" on this question.

The first one was published in early 2013 in the medical journal, JAMA. It analyzed data from nearly 100 studies and included almost 3 million people. It found that people who were overweight were 6% less likely to die during the average study period than people whose weight was considered normal; the obese (and extremely obese) died earlier.

This study looked only at death rates, not fitness or even how well the overweight people felt. Still, the results were a bit surprising. The study authors suggested several possible explanations, including:

Being overweight may lead to more frequent doctor visits and, perhaps, better medical care.
Having some extra body weight "in reserve" may be beneficial for a person with a serious illness or chronic disease.
The metabolic effects of extra body fat are somehow protective.
It's even possible that some people in the normal weight group had lost weight due to illness (including undiagnosed cancer) that lead to their deaths. So, despite the results of this study, being overweight doesn't necessarily have a "protective" effect. Rather, the findings could be explained by a higher death rate among those of normal weight.

The second study combined data from prior research that included more than 60,000 people. It concluded that "there is no healthy pattern of increased weight." However, this study did not find higher rates of death or heart and blood vessel events among overweight people, as long as their cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar levels were in a healthy range. (High cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar are some of the conditions that can lead to metabolic syndrome, which increases your risk of heart disease and diabetes.)

The researchers found that:

On average, the higher the BMI, the higher the blood pressure and the greater the tendency toward diabetes (as measured by the body's resistance to insulin, which is considered a key first step toward developing the disease).
The higher the BMI, the lower the HDL (the "good" type of cholesterol that tends to lower heart attack and stroke risk).
The health effects of excess weight vary for different people, perhaps due to genetics.
Obesity was linked with an increased risk of death and cardiovascular events.
People of any weight who have high cholesterol, blood pressure or blood sugar tend to have higher rates of death, as well as heart and blood-vessel disease.
Back to top

The Bottom Line

Avoiding obesity is important. But these studies suggest that you can expect to have a normal lifespan even if you're overweight, as long as you are in good metabolic health. But, keep in mind that the health impact of being overweight likely depends on which way your weight is headed. Rising BMI is linked with an increase in heart and blood vessel risk factors (including metabolic syndrome).

What about the idea that you can be obese but fit? Unfortunately, compelling evidence suggests that obesity is linked with an increased risk of death and heart events, even if one's metabolic and heart health numbers are good.

The challenge for people who are overweight is to avoid gaining even more weight and becoming metabolically unhealthy, obese or both.

Nielasan

I would say that not being sick is definitely being healthy. Being "over" a certain weight is just a relative term. Yes, obesity is a problem but the solution itself is BEING healthy, like actually going for it every day- which is an active journey throughout your entire life not just a static state. Being healthy is a moving target. Also, in our society one can always see oneself as overweight even after dramatic weight loss any way! Body image problems are unhealthy too. It's not about the weight even though its so emotionally important.

amusedmonkey

Can you smoke and not develop lung cancer? Definately! But the risk is much higher, so why risk it? Being overweight increases the risk of heart disease and diabetes, so why risk it?

Topsking2010

Bump

Need2Exerc1se

amusedmonkey wrote: »

Can you smoke and not develop lung cancer? Definately! But the risk is much higher, so why risk it? Being overweight increases the risk of heart disease and diabetes, so why risk it?

Does it really? The article seems to suggest that it's not always so.

lemurcat12

Yes, the argument in that article is what I've read elsewhere (that I was alluding to in my prior post--that the risk based on BMI is really for obesity). I'd be more precise, however, and add in factors like waist measurement.

earlnabby

Need2Exerc1se wrote: »

I'm not sure anyone is reading the article so I'm posting it here. It's long, so still not sure how many will read it. It raises some interesting points, I think.

I didn't read it before I made my initial post (but did now) and it seems I agree with it. The extremes (obese or severely underweight) are definitely unhealthy for everyone but there is a wide place in the middle where some can carry a bit extra around and be healthy, where others can't.

mrsKOrtiz

I'm technically healthy as I am now. But all I know is that I can be healthy now but 90 extra pounds will definitely catch up to me. That is NOT heart-healthy!

earlnabby

I also agree with the author's point that many lump overweight and obese together when they are not the same thing. Yes, it is a matter of a sliding scale and what would be overweight for one is more like obese for another.

Need2Exerc1se

earlnabby wrote: »

I also agree with the author's point that many lump overweight and obese together when they are not the same thing. Yes, it is a matter of a sliding scale and what would be overweight for one is more like obese for another.

Yes, I think that is an important point. Also, I agree with the article that when you are overweight it's important where your weight is headed. Whether you are gaining weight vs. maintaining or losing weight.

amusedmonkey

Need2Exerc1se wrote: »

amusedmonkey wrote: »

Can you smoke and not develop lung cancer? Definately! But the risk is much higher, so why risk it? Being overweight increases the risk of heart disease and diabetes, so why risk it?

Does it really? The article seems to suggest that it's not always so.

What the article is stating is that as long as you are in good metabolic health you should be fine, and yes you could be overweight with a great metabolic health. But it also does state that the higher you slide on the BMI scale the higher your risk is of developing metabolic issues.

You could be overweight but active enough to counteract it, you could be overweight but lucky enough to have good genetics, you could be overweight by BMI but with a good fat distribution or a larger build, you could be overweight ever so slightly that you are actually at a good weight for you despite of what BMI says. Yes, all of these are possible. But if all things were equal (genetic predisposition, activity level, fat distribution.. etc) I believe a person who is within the normal range (not necessarily according to BMI) would be healthier than someone who has more extra weight.

Paul_Collyer

Well according to my BMI of 26 or so, and fat % of 22% ish, I am overweight.

Yet I can run a marathon sub 4 hours, run a half sub 1'45 and a 10k in sub 45' with an estimated VO2 max of 57.

So yes, I reckon you can ;-)

Need2Exerc1se

amusedmonkey wrote: »

Need2Exerc1se wrote: »

amusedmonkey wrote: »

Can you smoke and not develop lung cancer? Definately! But the risk is much higher, so why risk it? Being overweight increases the risk of heart disease and diabetes, so why risk it?

Does it really? The article seems to suggest that it's not always so.

What the article is stating is that as long as you are in good metabolic health you should be fine, and yes you could be overweight with a great metabolic health. But it also does state that the higher you slide on the BMI scale the higher your risk is of developing metabolic issues.

You could be overweight but active enough to counteract it, you could be overweight but lucky enough to have good genetics, you could be overweight by BMI but with a good fat distribution or a larger build, you could be overweight ever so slightly that you are actually at a good weight for you despite of what BMI says. Yes, all of these are possible. But if all things were equal (genetic predisposition, activity level, fat distribution.. etc) I believe a person who is within the normal range (not necessarily according to BMI) would be healthier than someone who has more extra weight.

Interesting. Why do you believe the part I bolded?

ninerbuff

Health is more than just about weight and great blood work though. Factors for good health are:

Weight (number 1 risk)
Nutrition
Enough rest
Stress level
Environment (smog, pollution, etc.)
Risk behavior (smoking, etc.)
Exercise/fitness level
Genetics
Mental statis (feeling happy is different than feeling sad, also illness mentally)

So one could be overweight and "healthy" in that aspect, but suffering from any of the others could trump it.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

jgnatca

I read the article before weighing in, so to speak.

"People of any weight who have high cholesterol, blood pressure or blood sugar tend to have higher rates of death, as well as heart and blood-vessel disease."

Yes, thin and normal weight people, if they aren't watching their health, might be carrying any of these conditions. Of course, the risk of getting these conditions rises the heavier you are.

Eighty pounds ago I was on medication for cholesterol, blood pressure, and high blood sugar. A textbook high risk patient.

I am curious about the effect of social status on cholesterol levels.
http://www.medicaldaily.com/men-who-do-manual-labor-and-women-high-education-have-lower-cholesterol-levels-others-300458

algwynt

just because your overweigh does not mean your unhealthy but losing that weight will make you healthier.